A crowning achievement for North Idaho College

By DEVIN HEILMAN

Staff Writer

As North Idaho College reached a lull in its "Building the Future" capital campaign, some old friends stepped in to help.

Earlier this year, the amount raised to complete the Parker Technical Education Center in Rathdrum, which officially opened last fall, hovered around $4.7 million. The finish line was visible but not quite close enough; with a $20 million goal and only $15 million secured, the whole $5 million was needed.

"Five million dollars is the largest capital campaign in college history," NIC Foundation executive director Rayelle Anderson said.

A capstone donation from the Robert "Bob" and Leona DeArmond trust, along with a legacy gift from the estate of the late Jennifer Henage, bumped that $4.7 million to $5.2 million, giving the whole NIC family a reason to celebrate at a gathering in the new facility Thursday.

"When they were so close to their campaign (goal), Leona said, ‘We can do that,'" said Peggy Jahnke, a representative and longtime friend of the DeArmond family. "Bob was such a loving, giving man. To give back to the community he spent so many years at and had success in, it’s just time that he’s able to give back to this community."

Bob opened the DeArmond Mill in 1959 and operated it for almost 30 years. The mill was right where NIC is now. The old mill might be gone, but the DeArmond legacy will forever have a place there.

“Bob always wanted to come back and help Idaho. He spent from ’59 to ’86 when he came back to Oregon," Jahnke said. "He would love to know that he could be a part of this. He loved all of his years here."

The DeArmond contribution will provide scholarships to help students afford tuition for programs at PTEC, which include automotive technology, computer aided design, welding technology and several others.

"For them to come back and cap off this campaign was just heartwarming," said NIC Foundation tri-chair Brad Dugdale. "What a generous gift to help us crown this achievement, which I know we’re going to be proud of for many, many years."

Henage, who died in December, worked for NIC for 24 years. She started in the admissions office, then became a coordinator of career technical student support services. All the while, she kept student success at the forefront, and continues to do so even in her passing.

“I got the call from her once in a while saying, ‘When are you going to get somebody to help these students with their tools? They really need help, these are expensive programs,’” Anderson said to the crowd of well more than 100 at the celebration.

"Her family is here today, and I just want to say to Jennifer, her legacy is coming to help students at NIC and her name is here, and we thank the family, but please help me honor Jennifer Henage and her legacy at North Idaho College," Anderson said. "She’s going to make sure students get the tools they need so that they can enroll in the programs without having to worry.”

The fundraising goal was exceeded thanks to nearly 200 donors. The names of those who gave $1,000 or more appear on the donor wall in the main entrance of the facility.

“Please know that whether you gave a dollar, or whether you gave $1.4 million, every single dollar counted and is a significant reason why this campaign is a success," Anderson said.